TACOMA, Wash. — Former Sonics star Shawn Kemp pleaded guilty to second-degree assault in Pierce County Superior Court on Tuesday for shooting at two men inside a Toyota 4Runner outside the Tacoma Mall in March 2023.

Kemp, 55, was initially charged with one count of first-degree assault with a firearm enhancement. Last week, prosecutors amended the charges, adding a second first-degree assault charge, also with a firearm enhancement, as well as drive-by shooting. Had Kemp been convicted on those charges, he could have faced a lengthy criminal sentence.

The standard sentencing range for second-degree assault in this case is three to nine months with one year of community custody. The maximum penalty for second-degree assault is 10 years confinement and a fine up to $20,000.

Though the 4Runner and another vehicle were damaged in the shooting, none of the rounds allegedly fired by Kemp hit anyone, nor was he injured. Kemp contends he fired in self-defense, returning fire after one of the men shot at him from inside the 4Runner, which fled the scene before Tacoma police arrived, court records show. When the vehicle was found abandoned in Federal Way five days later, an empty holster was found inside but there was no gun.

Kemp declined to comment after Tuesday's hearing.

"Shawn is committed to moving forward in a positive direction," Kemp's attorney Tim Leary said. "He was presented with an offer from the state that allows him to take responsibility, but I think also recognizes the self-defense nature of how this transpired."

As part of his plea, Kemp cannot possess a firearm and will be required to provide a biological sample for a law enforcement DNA database.

The prosecutor recommended the judge sentence Kemp to nine months in jail, one year in community custody and to pay restitution. Kemp will be sentenced on Aug. 22.

"His plan is to tell the community about the dangers of gun violence, really to be a positive influence on youth," said Aaron Kiviat, another of Kemp's attorneys.

The two men inside the 4Runner, ages 39 and 35, both have lengthy criminal histories and are currently serving prison sentences in other cases.

The 39-year-old man is currently serving a seven-year sentence, in part for a July 2023 shooting in Renton in which he mistook the victim for Kemp. Though the victim in that case was injured, he declined to participate in the man's prosecution. The 39-year-old was charged with and pleaded guilty in King County Superior Court to drive-by shooting, according to court records.

The 39-year-old also filed a civil suit in January against Kemp, seeking unspecified damages for emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life and "other general damages" stemming from the Tacoma Mall shooting.

A six-time NBA All-Star, Kemp was a major part of the Sonics' successful run in the 1990s and later played for Cleveland, Portland and Orlando before retiring in 2003. In 2020, he opened a cannabis dispensary in Seattle's Belltown neighborhood and then a second shop in Sodo in February 2023.

According to the defense's trial brief, Kemp and several of his employees were celebrating at the Showbox SoDo concert venue when Kemp's truck was broken into in the early hours of March 8, 2023. A purse belonging to one of Kemp's employees was stolen along with keys to his business, a cellphone, paperwork and sports memorabilia, including game-worn Gary Payton and Kemp jerseys that were to be auctioned off for a charity fundraiser, the brief says.

Using an app to track his stolen phone, Kemp tried to talk to the driver of what turned out to be a stolen Toyota 4Runner that was circling the parking lot of the Emerald Queen Casino, according to the trial brief. After the brief interaction, the 35-year-old dumped some of Kemp's stolen belongings on the side of the road but the 39-year-old decided to keep the phone "because he mistook it for a drug scale," the brief says.

Kemp later saw his phone was near the Tacoma Mall. He drove there, spotted the same 4Runner from earlier and "expressed his understandable frustration" with the driver, not realizing a second man was lying down in the back seat, according to the brief.

The defense's trial brief says the man in the back seat "fired off a round from a handgun at Mr. Kemp. Mr. Kemp returned fire and attempted to disable the Toyota. It did not work."

A police call log included in court records indicates that at least one witness who called 911 reported that two men were firing at each other.

Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Thomas Howe wrote in a statement explaining the plea agreement that, due to the two witnesses' past crimes of dishonesty and the "fact that those people were illegally in possession" of Kemp's belongings, the case should be resolved short of trial.

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